Between the Lines
by SecretInk
Summary: Glimpses into the everyday life of the Briefs family during those missing three, seven and ten years. Mainly B/V and their children.
1. Business Trip

_Author's note: A new author, a new story. After reading DBZ fanfictions for a while now, I thought I could try to write my own. I'm afraid I won't update very often which is why I'll focus on one-shots instead, so you don't have to keep speculating over some evil cliffhangers (because I know how hard this can be). _"Between the Lines" _is all about the relationships between the Briefs family members and I hope I could stay as truthful to the original characters as possible. Of course, I'll be happy if you let me know what you think of it- I'm looking forward to your opinion._

_A _**BIG**___thanks to my very patient and competent betareader __LPphreek__. I don't know how often I thanked you already but what can I say? Without you my stories would be a big mess full of stupid German mistakes, simply unreadable. Thank you putting so much time and effort into your corrections and comments._

Business Trip

Vegeta decided to quit his training for the night a little earlier than usual. Although he was still as disciplined as ever, he learned over the years when exhaustion would hinder his attempt to get stronger rather than help it. Bulma had actually been the one who, even before they began to be more than people who just happened to share the same house, lectured him on how his body would respond to his training much better if it was truly rested (and not on the verge of collapsing). Which, at the beginning, didn't impress him in the least and more often than not he awoke in the medical wing of Capsule Corporation. Later on, he could admit (if only grudgingly and only to himself) that Bulma's advice was not just meant to annoy him, which it certainly did, but to really help him improve his fighting skills and strength.

So, turning off the Gravity Room, he grabbed one of the towels to dry off the sweat and blood and made his way to his sleeping quarters. It was a rather long way; the GR was built in the uppermost floor of CC so as not to disturb the rest of the occupants with the constant humming of the engine and clashing of ki balls. Vegeta still avoided calling them _his family_. He knew that his life before Earth could be described as somewhat lonely; however, he had never felt that way. He had his pride, his strength, and his title. At that time, he needed nothing more. Now, he found himself in a place which remotely came close to being what he would call a home that was full of people who wished for nothing more than to be a family for him. He had a mate, who, by Saiyan standards, was exotic-looking and weird-acting and two equally bizarre half-breed children. Trunks, at least, besides his odd colouring and mischievous manner, was one of the strongest and most skilled fighters in the universe which was more than one could expect from such an unusual combination. He sometimes wondered, if his planet had not been destroyed by Frieza and he had coupled with a Saiyan female, would his son have been just as strong or was it the mixed blood of Saiyans and humans that produced such powerful offspring? His second child did not display the same thirst for fighting as her brother, but, strangely enough, Vegeta didn't mind. He was actually reluctant to train Bra at all because training always led to pain. Vegeta was not only one of the best fighters because he was strong, fast, and a great strategist - no, it was his ability to withstand inhuman amounts of pain and to still keep on fighting. Scorched skin and broken bones were common during serious training, but to be the one inflicting it on his only three-year-old daughter was nothing he would partake in. Therefore, he focused more on Trunks although he could already sense that he, too, would stop seeing fighting as his sole reason for living unlike the last two full-blooded Saiyans. Vegeta shrugged. Even if he didn't like the way his children were slowly distancing themselves from their warrior heritage, he couldn't do anything against it, so why bother thinking about it?

He quietly passed the older Briefs' bedroom, his so-called _parents-in-law_, although Bulma and he never officially married. Mr and Mrs Briefs were the only people Vegeta never figured out during his long stay on Earth. Both supported him frequently, Mr Briefs with repairs and inventions, Mrs Briefs with cooking tons of delicious food for no apparent reason. He never openly thanked them, neither was his behaviour towards them nice in return. But if he needed something, he would get it from them. That was the one way Bulma reminded him of her parents. Of course, she was a genius like her father and possessed her mother's good looks but her fiery temper was so vastly different from their calm and constant pleasant manner it was hard to believe parents and daughter were truly related. But Bulma spent a good deal of money and time to care and support him, never asking for anything in return.

Vegeta noticed light coming from his room. It wasn't unusual; both Bulma and he were often working late into the night if necessary. He knew that if he wasn't sleeping in their room, she took her laptop and blueprints into bed with her. He had often walked into that particular scene: Bulma asleep in a sitting position, various sketches and letters, sometimes even tools, scattered around her. Vegeta sighed. He wasn't in the mood to tidy up their bed; he just wanted to take a quick shower and lie down immediately without worrying about getting poked by a screwdriver. Yet, as he entered the room, there was no sign of Bulma. Instead, he noticed a large suitcase on the end of their bed. Various items of clothes lay scattered around and the wardrobe doors were left open. For a second, he thought and would deny for the rest of his life if asked that Bulma had finally had enough of him, packed his things, and threw him out. In that second, his heart sped up until he shook his head to clear his mind; it had been a stupid thought, probably due to his exhaustion. From the bathroom he heard rummaging noises before Bulma came into view, toiletries in hand. She was obviously startled when she saw him.

"Vegeta? I didn't think you would have already finished your training. I'm sorry, I still have things to pack, but I'll hurry." She smiled at him before she continued packing her things. Vegeta watched her for a few moments, before he grabbed some fresh clothes, and proceeded into the bathroom. He stripped naked and stepped into the shower. The hot water sprayed onto his tense body, slowly relaxing his muscles and washing away sweat and blood. Vegeta now remembered that Bulma had to leave for a couple of days to attend several business meetings in North Capitol City. It happened from time to time, although Bulma tried to locate most of her work in the Capsule Corp. headquarters, as to "take proper care of their children"- whatever that meant, Vegeta had no idea. Sometimes, when Trunks had still been a small child, she had taken him with her. At that time, Vegeta assumed, she hadn't trusted him enough to be alone with Trunks for a few days. Her attitude changed over the last few years and while Vegeta still couldn't compete as "Father of the Year" (at least by human standards, by Saiyan ones, he would have been worse than a mother hen), it was evident that now he wouldn't completely ignore his children if they needed him. Still, he let Bulma's mother take care of Bra's diapers, which was part of the deal between him and Bulma.

He turned off the water and, cleaned and relaxed, he finally felt ready to go to bed. Putting on his boxers and shirt, he went back to the bedroom, slightly smirking when he saw his mate sitting and hopping on her overfull suitcase in a comical attempt to zip it up.

"You know you're only gone for four days, right?"

She arched one of her oddly-coloured eyebrows at his comment before turning her attention back to the stubborn zipper. "Your point?"

"From the contents of your suitcase it looks like you're planning an expedition around the globe."

Leaving her luggage without sparing him another glance, Bulma collected another bag and some rolled-up blueprints. Vegeta noticed that she was already dressed in her business attire wearing a grey skirt and blazer with a dark blue blouse underneath, yet her feet were still bare. He assumed that her first meeting was early in the morning, directly after her arrival, so she already changed into those clothes to save time.

"An expedition? Hardly. There are tons of folders and two of my laptops taking most of the space, next to several changes of clothes. I could do without some of them if the weather forecast had been more precise. Now I have to take boots, a raincoat, and an umbrella as well as sandals and some tank tops." Vegeta thought about mocking her by saying that she would have brought an immense amount of clothing anyway, but he thought better of it. Bulma was, as he noticed, rather practical thinking; her only outfit she brought to Namek proved it. So he remained silent while she gathered her things. Grabbing her shoes, she kept them in her hand instead of putting them on as to not disturb the sleeping children with superhuman hearing.

Finally, she turned to him. "I think I have everything now. I'll be back in four days. My mother will take Bra to her play group and pick her up afterwards except on Thursday, then you need to bring Bra home." The CEO of Capsule Corporation was already in her business mood and the Saiyan knew better than to interrupt her. Otherwise, she would lecture him for much longer. So, he let her talk, only half-listening to what she said. "Bra has to be in bed by eight o'clock and no later than that. I know it doesn't bother you if she stays awake until midnight, but Vegeta, that is _not _education. She needs at least one basic rule, or else we'll face some major problems in a couple of years. We're both lenient enough at it is, so please, stick with this one rule, okay?" Vegeta gave a non-committal grunt. Having obeyed strict rules and discipline his whole life, he could easily understand her point, but if he agreed with her now, she was sure to think it had been due to her preaching. And he couldn't let _tha t_happen!

"And Goten will come tomorrow- he needs Trunks to help him with some homework assignment and they want to turn it into a sleep-over which is fine by me. Just make sure that Trunks really studies with him and doesn't persuade him to play video games right away." Bulma then went silent, her face scrunched up as always when she was concentrating. Vegeta waited patiently and eventually, she shrugged. "Well, I guess, that was all. I'll let you rest, you look like you need it badly." She smiled a bit unsure before she cautiously put one hand (the one not carrying her shoes) on his shoulder and kissed him softly on the corner of his mouth. "Good night", she whispered before she turned to her stuff, leaving him frustrated. One stupid kiss was all he would get for four days? Certainly, he wasn't desperate for her touch but the lack of physical contact had been strangely unsatisfying.

Seeing her fruitless attempts to carry her big suitcase, rolls of blueprints, and purse and shoes all at once, Vegeta took one wistful glance at the freshly made bed before taking pity on his clumsy mate by taking the suitcase from her hand. He could see her grateful smile, something he hadn't received that often before. Most of time, he enjoyed her angry screaming much more, trying everything to enrage her. To see her smile at him for such a simple gesture was new but nevertheless welcome. Though, he was sure as hell not going to let her get used to this!

"You don't have to do that. I could have very well carried all of this by myself," she told him confidently, to which Vegeta could only snort.

"Of course you could. And stomping around the house like a birthing elephant as well while I try to sleep."

Bulma shrugged, not letting herself be fooled and smiled at him. "Yeah, whatever you say. Anyway, thank you." She winked at him. The female obviously knew that wasn't the reason he helped her, that smug little thing. Sure, he could rant about the superiority of the Saiyan race as usual when she demonstrated her human (and therefore, weak) incompetence. Instead, he walked through the halls of CC in complete silence before finally reaching one of the side entrances where, sure enough, one of Bulma's planes was standing on the lawn.

"Vegeta, wait. You've carried it far enough already, I'll manage the rest alone. Just go to bed." Vegeta saw her still standing on the threshold, hesitant to follow him barefoot through the cold and dewy grass. Ignoring her, he went to open the luggage space, slightly annoyed when he couldn't find the switch to do so. Quiet footsteps came towards him and Bulma's slender hand found the small button effortlessly- being a Capsule model, she probably knew every design by heart. Together they placed her luggage into the plane. The only thing she kept in her hands were her high-heels even though she began to shiver. It didn't take him long to figure why she would rather let her thin tights be soaked through by the cool dew of the night than put on her shoes. They were at the same height at best, not counting his hair. If she wore high-heels, she would tower over him by a few inches. So, while Bulma loved to buy tons of shoes, she was considerate to wear only flat ones if they went out together. He found this small gesture oddly endearing, more so because they both never mentioned it. Nevertheless ...

"Woman, climb into your plane at once, if you don't want to face your business partners with a disgusting snotty nose." She only chuckled at his remark, both of them clearly remembering the one time she got sick during their relationship. The usually unaffected prince had left their room to sleep elsewhere, after waking up in a bed full of sticky tissues (and, unfortunately, having touched some of them). He had flat out refused to come near her as long she "allowed green slime to seep out of the swollen thing she had once called a nose".

For once, Bulma didn't argue with him but climbed into the driver's seat. "Okay then. I guess I'll see you in a few days." Rolling his eyes at her habit of stating the obvious, Vegeta remained silent. He would have preferred her to stay silent more often except that she thought she had to break every possible silence with unnecessary chatter. She had told him once that she found a silence between people always awkward and would talk about everything possible just to break it. Sometimes, he didn't mind- he preferred her small talk over her mother's high-pitched bubbling or the harpy's shrill nagging. Bulma, at least, knew when he would answer and when not. But at this late hour, Vegeta had other ideas.

"You didn't think I carried all this stuff for nothing, did you?" He smirked at her. Bulma's blue eyes opened wide as she looked at him questioningly. He was briefly amused by her expression before grabbing her cold feet in between each hand. His thumbs caressed her ankles, warming them with the slightest bit of his ki. Bulma sat higher than him but in this case, he didn't mind- on the contrary, it served his purpose as he easily stepped in between her long legs, riding her skirt up as he did so.

"Vegeta, I-I ... really have to go, you know?" she whispered with dry lips. Vegeta knew it was only a matter of seconds until her tongue would unconsciously lick over them. And there it was, her little tongue drawing over her shapely-formed upper lip. He seized his chance, raising his head before catching her lips with his. Tasting her, sweet and warm, sensually touching her tongue with his own. Until he met Bulma, he never knew what a kiss was and even if he had, he wouldn't have touched someone so intimately. But with Bulma- he couldn't get enough of her. He would be damned if he let her know that although he assumed she could already tell. Vixen! Unwillingly, he ended their deep kiss, letting them catch their breaths. His eyes followed the movement of her hand as it tried to straighten her short hair even though he didn't tousle it this time.

"Ahm, if I don't want to be late, I really have to go now", she said hesitantly.

Vegeta nodded and stepped out of her legs, so she could properly sit in her seat. "As long as you come back." He silently cursed himself, it came out all wrong. Like some love-sick fool, counting the hours until the female would be back. Especially since he meant to sound indifferent to her departure. Angry with himself, he added: "I won't put up with the brats longer than I have to."

Not surprisingly, she ignored the last part. Grinning evilly, Bulma teased: "Oooh, don't worry, sweetheart. The love and light of your life will do everything to come back as soon as possible. Couldn't leave my honey-bunny all alone, now could I?" She put on her shoes, typed in the code to start the engine; all the while laughing at him. He had to be more careful with what he said to her in the future. This woman could easily turn it against him and he would never hear the end of it.

"Oh, before I forget: When I come back, I expect to have _two _intact children, do you hear me? Oh, and parents. And don't think you can hide, kidnap or kill and then replace them. Because I'll eventually notice," she joked good-heartedly but Vegeta was still resentful.

"I'll promise nothing."

He turned around before the door closed and walked back to the house. He didn't look back, as to avoid another of her unfunny jokes, so he only heard the airplane quickly leaving the compound. Finally, he could go to bed and get some sleep. Vegeta entered the building, slowly making his way towards his bedroom. Everything was quiet, until he heard the one syllable that would throw his plan for a restful sleep overboard:

"DAAAAAAD!"


	2. What They Said

What They Said

"Why the hell are you working naked?"

With Bulma Briefs as his mate he had to be prepared for almost anything, but even Vegeta couldn't have imagined a stranger sight than that one. The woman was sitting at her desk, nude, except for a pair of black high-heels and glasses perched on top of her nose. She looked over some blueprints, obviously calculating, while not even sparing him a glance as he entered her laboratory.

"I asked you to come here almost an hour ago," she told him as if that would explain everything.

Vegeta waited for her to elaborate- in vain. He debated with himself if he really wanted to know what she had been up to. It _was_ an unusual occurrence, so he was naturally interested; on the other hand, he wanted to appear indifferent. The seconds ticked by, until Vegeta couldn't contain his curiosity anymore. "And? This doesn't explain anything."

"Well, it would if you had shown up when I asked you to."

"Well, I come when I want to."

"Well, your loss."

"Well, I don't care."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Both humphed, annoyed, neither wanting to cave in. Both felt that they tried to accommodate the other one way too often. But, over the years, the couple had developed a routine: At the beginning of an argument, Bulma tended to be the one to concede, mostly because a compromise might give her a few hours of peace and some of the petty things they were arguing over weren't worth a tense atmosphere between them. In the middle of an argument (but only if he was clearly losing), Vegeta was the one to give in- not by saying so but by simply leaving. Therefore, it would be Bulma's turn, they both knew it. It was just a matter of time until she would make the first move.

'No, this time I won't give in. He can wait until hell is freezing over. I don't care what he's going to do, I will not give in_._' For a short while, she tried to concentrate on her calculation. However, if there was one thing Bulma could give him credit for, it was that Vegeta could be really patient when he wanted to be. Besides, she began to shiver- after all, she was still naked and her laboratory not heated.

"All right, Vegeta," she sighed before rotating her office chair to face him. Seeing him examine her nude body closely, Bulma couldn't hide a smug grin spreading over her features. For good measure, she uncrossed her legs briefly, then crossed them again. 'At least I didn't see that boring movie for nothing_._'

"You know I had such a nice idea earlier today," she told him in a husky voice. "I thought I could undress right here in my laboratory, strike a really sexy pose, and call for my favourite Saiyan lover."

Vegeta definitely liked what he was hearing. Smirking, he came closer to her. "And why would you do that, hm?"

"I -" _thought I should do something very special just for you,_was what she should have said to him. Instead, Bulma said, "- often seduced Yamcha that way. I thought you might like it, too."

What the hell, he certainly didn't see that one coming! 'Is she kidding me?' The silence that ensued dragged on without Bulma noticing the anger and jealousy radiating from Vegeta. While he was on better terms with the Z-fighters in general, he still avoided that Yamcha guy as if he had the plague. Bad enough that he had witnessed their relationship during his initial stay on Earth with their disgusting kissing and cuddling (and he didn't want to imagine what else), but even after their breakup the weak human just couldn't stay away! He still came over to every possible party his stupid woman organized. And now, the same stupid woman thought she had to kiss and tell her past experiences with the human.

"Oh, is that so? Well, little one, just because your dense _ex-boyfriend_ was easily lured between your pale legs, don't think you can do the same with me. I am the Prince of all Saiyans and for me, you should put a lot more effort into your little ploy!" he told her in his most menacing tone, underestimating Bulma's ability to only hear what she wanted to.

"Anyway, you came too late, so while I was waiting I had some really good ideas about speeding up the encapsulating process. I _had_ to write it down, so no time to put my clothes back on- who would have seen me anyway? Oh, it felt like my personal _Eureka! _with the idea and the nudeness, except that I was not about to take a bath and I'm not so sure about running around naked like old Archimedes but when I finally found the solution, why not? " She continued to prattle for quite some time completely forgetting everything around her, while Vegeta was seething with anger. It didn't seem like he would get laid anytime soon, so there was no reason to stay. Also, the argument had continued long enough, so it was his turn to leave, which he fumingly did. She would certainly pay for it later.

Bulma bent forward to look over her blueprints once more, smiling evilly at her successful attempt to distract the Saiyan with her chatter. 'Ups, that was a close one.'

* * *

><p>Vegeta didn't get very far before his son came his way. Trunks was distracted by one of his hand-sized game consoles and only noticed his father shortly before he bumped into him. Of course, Vegeta could have easily sidestepped him, but it was one of the few things he would never do. Everyone should walk out of <em>his<em> way, not the other way around.

"Hey, Dad," Trunks greeted him as he stuck the game device his grandfather developed especially for him into his pocket. He didn't even wait for Vegeta's reply before asking, "Is Mom in her lab?"

"Yes, but -" _she's indisposed right now. Come back later_,was what he should have said to his son. To take vengeance on his mate, Vegeta opted to say, "- you should hurry if you want to catch her."

"Okay, cool. See ya." Almost a teenager, Trunks liked to ignore every unnecessary part of a sentence and focused on monosyllabic responses he learned from his father, although his choice of words was much more colloquial than his father would have liked.

Usually, Vegeta would have reprimanded him for it; instead he chose to rest his back against the wall and simply waited. "This should be good." With his keen senses, he could hear Trunks opening the door before bursting into the room aaaand-

"AAAH, Trunks!"

"Oh my God, MOOOM? You're - Aaargh!"

Vegeta couldn't stifle a laugh as he saw Trunks running through the hall like a madman, invisible to the human eye. Poor boy, he actually had nothing to do with his little revenge. Tough luck! From the corner of his eye he could see Bulma leaving her laboratory, wrapped up in the blueprint she had been drawing on before. She seemed to have some difficulties covering her nude body as she saw him still standing near her laboratory and quickly put two and two together. Marching over to him in an overly dramatic manner, she began to scream, "What do you think you were doing? That was totally embarrassing! How could you do that, you freaking bastard? I'll _never_ be able to look Trunks in the eye again. "

While he wasn't really offended by her insults, he was more than annoyed with her shrill crying, so unlike the husky whisper she used earlier. "Stop there, woman! I wasn't the one sitting naked in an unlocked room anybody could enter. This whole situation is _your_ fault."

Bulma was practically burning with rage. "_My_ fault? I wanted to do something nice for you, mister. If you had shown up when I asked you to, none of this would have happened. We would have screwed our brains out and be on our merry way. But no, you had to be difficult … as always!"

If she thought he was going to give in, she was wrong. He already did that earlier. He raised his voice to match hers, which was now at the top of her lungs. "I'm being difficult? You were the one who couldn't keep your mouth shut about your ex-boyfriend. If not for that, Trunks would have walked into a very different scene and would have nightmares about both of his parents."

"Well then you should have come when I told you to!"

"You already said that. Can't come up with a new argument?"

"I don't need another argument!"

"Then you're losing."

"I'm NOT!"

They glared at each other venomously, neither one budging even an inch. Neither Vegeta nor Bulma could tell if they were seconds away from strangling each other or grabbing the other one in a passionate embrace.

Suddenly, Mrs Briefs walked by, humming to herself and completely oblivious to the tension between the couple. "Hello, my dears. What a nice day, isn't it? I'll cook something especially delicious; wouldn't you like that, Vegeta? I should start right now if I want it to be ready for dinner," she contemplated before turning to her daughter. "Oh, Bulma-darling, what a nice new dress that is. The colour really suits you but it might be a bit revealing, don't you think?" Dumbfounded, they stared at the bubbly blonde who began to giggle. "Or were you trying to seduce our dear Vegeta with it and I was interrupting something?"

She gave Bulma a conspiratorial pat on her shoulder, silently mouthing to her to remove her glasses. Her daughter looked so much prettier without them, she thought to herself. Slightly taken aback, Bulma complied. Satisfied, Mrs Briefs nodded and left them alone. The couple remained silent for a few moments, their fight almost forgotten.

"She didn't notice I'm not wearing a dress but a piece of paper, did she?"

Vegeta shook his head. "What do you expect with her eyes closed all the time? It's a miracle she finds her way around here effortlessly."

"Yeah, but my ass is practically hanging out. How could she think that I would wear a dress like that?" She loved her mother dearly, but sometimes she wondered if there was something seriously wrong with her that nobody had noticed so far.

"She knows your style, that's why." Vegeta told her smugly. It took a while for Bulma to understand what he meant but then she focused on him again, remembering their fight. So far, neither had won.

"And what that's supposed to mean? That I look slutty?"

"You're standing almost naked in a corridor. Do you really have to ask?"

Bulma rolled her eyes at his comment. "You know what? I'm not discussing this topic _again_. I wanted to surprise you; don't worry, I won't do it ever again. If you'll excuse me, I should talk to Trunks." 'And attempt for some damage control_._' She wasn't really looking forward to that conversation; if she had seen her father naked ... She shuddered only thinking about it. So, without further acknowledging Vegeta, she turned around and stomped away.

The Saiyan Prince considered following her; it was bound to be an interesting conversation. On the other hand, he could wait and get all the details from Bulma later on. Vegeta didn't feel like eavesdropping, instead he decided to get some training done. After all, he had to work up an appetite for dinner.

* * *

><p>Bulma knocked on her son's room door. "Trunks? Can I come in?"<p>

"Are you dressed?" came the tentative reply from the other side of the door. Picturing her slightly distraught son, Bulma had to smile. Before walking over to see him, she went back to her laboratory to put on the clothes she had been wearing prior to her idea of spending a nice afternoon with Vegeta. Currently, she wore her lab coat with a short black dress underneath. She now wished that she wore something more decent that covered her bare legs. 'Oh well, as if he could get even more flustered because of my uncovered legs.'

"Yes, sweetie. Now please, let me in." Bulma waited a few seconds before her son told her to enter. Opening the door, she slowly walked in and spotted Trunks sitting on his bed- averting his eyes as best as he could. As embarrassed as Bulma had been before, seeing her son making such a fuss gave her enough confidence to handle the situation. She sat on the bed next to him, amused when she noticed Trunks inching away from her.

"So, what do you think, will we face a Freudian disaster in the near future?"

Trunks glanced over to her, clearly relieved when he saw her dressed, before averting his eyes once more. "What do you mean, Mom?"

"I mean, will you be all Oedipus-like, now that you've seen me? You know, kill your father in order to marry me?" She laughed at his shocked expression. "Just tell me beforehand, so I can start looking for a wedding gown." From the corner of her eye, Bulma could see Trunks trying to hide a small smile. _Bingo!_

"First of all, we should discuss a few things. You need to train much more if you want to kill your father, but you should hurry, I'm not getting any younger. Then we have to decide where we want to spend the rest of our lives together. My room is a bit bigger than yours and I would be really close to my workplace. On the other hand, your room is closer to the kitchen; we have to bear that in mind. Then there's also our income to think of-"

"Mo-om!" Trunks wanted to sound annoyed, he really did. But his mother had a talent of always making him laugh. His father never freely joked with him (which didn't mean that Vegeta couldn't be funny), so mother and son shared their own sense of humour. It was one of the reasons he loved her so much. He instantly felt at ease in his mother's presence and decided to join her in her silly game. "I have no income!"

Bulma grinned at his comment. She let herself fall back on his bed, happy as Trunks did the same. They both lay comfortably next to each other, the awkward scene nearly forgotten. "This might be a slight problem. But don't worry, honey, I'll talk to my lawyers. They'll work out a marriage contract," she told him matter-of-fact and added for good measure: "Perhaps I could get you a job in Daddy's company. I mean, I'm not so sure if my income will suffice for both of us. I heard your expenses increased over the last few years."

Trunks craned his neck to glance at his mother. "Mom?"

"Hm?"

"You're weird."

"I know, sweetie, I know." It was a peaceful moment between them. They always had a good relationship; Bulma hoped it would stay that way even during the rough years of puberty. Feeling sentimental, Bulma thought she could never be mad at Trunks ever again. He was her perfect little boy. As not to cry in front of him, she started to joke again: "Well, at least, your mom was a better sight than you would have imagined, right?"

"Gee, mom." Now, what he should have said (at least in Bulma's opinion), was: _I know I have the most beautiful mom in the world, I don't need to see you naked to know that._ Or at least: _I really don't want to talk about what just happened._ But Trunks made a mistake by saying, "Conceited much?"

"Excuse me?" Had she heard him right? 'Perfect little boy- my ass!' He could rot in the streets for all she cared. "I'll let you know that my body is great. Amazing even, considering my age. And a pregnancy, thanks to you." Standing up, she practically exploded with anger. How dare he question her perfect looks? "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from dinner. Ooh, and I heard it's going to be delicious. Well, your loss, little guy." She left her son's room. 'Serves him right for hurting my feelings.'

The poor boy she left behind couldn't understand what happened just now. One moment everything was fine between them and the next he was without dinner. Thus, Trunks learned the limits of every women's humour: Her looks. With Bulma Briefs as his mother, a very important lesson indeed.

* * *

><p>"Have you been dressed at all today?"<p>

Leaning against the doorframe of their bedroom, Vegeta studied his, once again, naked mate. There was still a bit of time left before dinner and he had been curious about Bulma's talk with Trunks. Instead of finding her back in her laboratory working on her new project, he had located her in their room- whirling in front of a mirror. He had never encountered a person so confident within her own body who hadn't been a fighter.

Bulma looked at herself sideways, here and there pulling at a bit of skin. "Actually, yes. Twice, to be precise." She sighed. "I just wanted to see if I'm already showing."

Vegeta blinked. "Showing what?"

The blue-haired woman paused before shaking her head. "Not important." She weighed her breast, then stroked her belly. "I don't look like I used to. I mean, I'm still super hot," she told him sternly as if to daring him to say otherwise. Satisfied when he didn't, she continued, "but probably not as hot as I was ten years ago."

It was a pointless conversation and Vegeta wasn't in the mood to appease her sudden self doubts. After all, he was still angry with her. "Please don't tell me that you're pondering your looks because your own son didn't get the hots for you."

"Eeew, Vegeta, that's disgusting. Just so you know, Trunks and I have already been over this topic." Bulma looked away from her reflection, paying full attention to the Saiyan. "I wasn't seeking Trunks' approval but yours." Smiling teasingly, Bulma slowly walked over to him. "Aren't you grateful that everything you see here -", she pointed from her head to her feet, putting special emphasis on her breasts, "- belongs just to you?"

What he should have said was a simple and straight-forward _Yes_. Unfortunately for Vegeta, he decided to give a different, quite the opposite answer.

_Author's note: Thanks to everyone who took a few seconds to comment on my first chapter. I really appreciate it. I'm really grateful to have such a wonderful betareader like LPphreek- thank you so much for all your time and effort._


End file.
